End the Year Listening to Rising Indigenous Artist Mato Wayuhi’s New Album
Featuring some of Wayuhi’s most personal and introspective songs to date, Bygoner centers on themes of self-reflection and vulnerability—often in the face of love or lust. “Bygoner was inspired by my side-ho era,” Wayuhi, who is Two-Spirit, says frankly. “I was falling for folks who were emotionally unavailable, so I had to reckon with what that says about me. I also wanted to strengthen my songwriting and bass–playing skills. Much of what you hear is tailored to those exercises.”
On the title track, for instance, Wayuhi bids a catchy farewell to an ex-flame. “Your forgiveness ain’t my business anymore,” he sings. “Don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but at least I’m doing me.” On “The Sunroof Song,” he croons about struggling to move on from someone. “Ain’t it something when you move on, and you just want what you don’t need anymore,” he sings.
Through it all, Wayuhi also weaves in elements from his Native culture, especially humor. “Girl, you’re Native—what are you doing sitting on your ass,” goes his track “Suckerz,” featuring Awu. “Do you not know that you can get into any national park for free?”
Even better than his distinct sound? Wayuhi’s personal style, visible during his live performances. (One can often catch a Wayuhi set during events like the annual Santa Fe Indian Market, where he is also known to walk the runway.) “My style speaks to who I want to be and who got me here,” says the artist. His colorful wardrobe—filled with cool prints, beadwork jewelry, and lots of sleeveless shirts—is built from thrifted pieces, as well as contemporary Indigenous designers like Jamie Okuma. “My style is predicated on unpredictability, novelty, and the phrase ‘thrifted and gifted,’” says Wayuhi. “[I like] one-of-one pieces, and not for their price—more so for the journey of how you got it, and from whom.”
